Shimmer Polish Marilyn: Swatch and Review

Hello gentle readers.

Today I have the beautiful Shimmer Polish in Marilyn. This beautiful dark red jelly is packed with red tiny square glitter and is very glamorous. Unlike your typical Christmas red glitter, Marilyn has an edge, a darkness to it that keeps it from being so typical or sweet.

This swatch is two coats of Marilyn topped with a coat of Gelous and two coats of Seche Vite.

The formula on this polish is a little bit of a brat. The base is thick, fairly fluid but it likes to string together, pool on the sides of my nails and clot up as I am applying it. This polish dries fast and gritty and it is a thirsty lady come top coat time. To get the glossy finish I achieved for my photographs, I needed Gelous and two coats of Seche Vite. I probably could have done two of Gelous and two of Seche Vite.

After I applied this swatch, I thinned it well to see if I could improve the texture a bit and make application any smoother and easier. I used the thinned polish to paint a nail on a nail wheel and it behaved really well, it was fluid and smooth and didn't give my any trouble. The next day, I wanted to reshoot the swatch in the sun as I had swatched the others in this series in the sun and well, you know me and my thing about continuity. When I went to swatch this polish a second time, it had tightened right back up on me. *sigh* I'm not giving up on it, tho.

So you might be looking at this swatch and thinking to yourself "Hey, wait a minute. Is this a dupe for China Glaze Ruby Pumps?" The simple answer is, nope. While they are similar; red jelly base polishes packed with glitter, Marilyn is deeper, cooler and has a blackened quality while Ruby Pumps is brighter, lighter, a more true, clear red. Ruby pumps is also a bit more translucent, requiring three coats to Marilyn's two and the finished texture is smoother and requires less top coat. Here is a quick comparison on a nail wheel:

So, what do you think? Do you like Marilyn? Interested in owning a bottle of this beautiful polish? If so mosey on over to Shimmer Polish's Etsy shop and pick up Marilyn or any other beautiful polish that might take your fancy. The Shimmer Etsy shop is closed for vacation until November 26.

Thank you so much for popping in and reading. Have a great day and may your polish never bubble.

*This polish was sent to me for consideration and review. Thank you, Shimmer Polish.*